Week ending May 4, 2019
Senate Bill 105 – Start Date for City Commissioner’s Term of Office
Under SB 105, a city governing body can determine, by resolution, the start date of a regular term of office for a city officer. The legislation requires the start date to be on or after December 1 following certification of the election. If a city does not establish an alternative date, SB 105 specifies the term will begin on the second Monday in January after the election. A copy of the legislation is attached.
When the Kansas Legislature moved city elections from April of odd-numbered years to November of odd-numbered years, it also changed the date newly elected city commissioners began serving from a date in April to the second Monday in January following the election. The City passed ordinances to bring our local code provisions in line with the state law. If the City Commission desires to alter the start date of the term of office of city commissioners, we will also need to amend Sections 1-108 (meetings), 1-206 (terms of office), 1-207 (selection of mayor), and 1-208 (vice-mayor) of the City Code.
Staff awaits direction from the City Commission on whether to determine by resolution a different start date for the city commissioners’ terms of office. According to the City Clerk’s Office, the filing deadline for filing for the office of City Commissioner is June 3, 2019. It would be advisable to resolve this issue in May.
Planning & Development Services Monthly Project Report
Attached is an update on Planning & Development Services projects.
March 2019 Monthly Building Permit Reports
The Building Safety Division issued 174 building permits in March, with total construction for the month valued at $9,972,652. Total permit fees assessed for the month were $70,521, and total review fees assessed were $5,374. Permits were issued for 14 new residential projects, including 12 single-family dwellings and two (2) duplexes. Staff Report Monthly Report Year-to-Date Report
Non-Owner Occupied Short Term Rental Update
This update is, in part, a response to Commissioner Soden’s request for information related to the age of structures used for short term rentals. On April 24, 2019 the Planning Commission considered and discussed a memo that includes topics associated with the non-owner occupied short term rental use, including the age of the structures of licensed short term rental units. Staff is preparing the Planning Commission’s responses to the questions/topics noted in the memo and will present the memo to the City Commission at their May 14th work session. All special use permits in process have been held until the June Planning Commission meeting to allow the City Commission to have their discussion and direct staff on any revisions to the program, if the Commission finds revisions are necessary.
Announcement of Two Additional Public Open Houses on Bicycle Boulevard Design
City staff plans to conduct two additional open house meetings to present the final design proposals for the 13th and 21st street bicycle boulevards. Open houses will be conducted Wednesday, May 15th and Thursday, May 16th and will be a come-and-go format where attendees can review the final design proposals and discuss with city staff and the design consultant. The additional open houses were not originally planned as part of the already extensive public input process for these projects, but city staff and the consultant would like to publicly present the final design proposals, which incorporate feedback received during the public engagement process, prior to their presentation at the June 3rd Transportation Commission meeting. Staff plans to present the final design proposal for City Commission consideration following the June 3rd Transportation Commission meeting.
More information about the project, bicycle boulevards and the final design proposal is available at https://lawrenceks.org/bike-blvds
Update on Lawrence Community Shelter Assessment by SS&G
Attached is an update on the work of SS&G related to the assessment of the current operations and financial conditions of the Lawrence Community Shelter. A presentation for the City Commission is anticipated in June.
IRS Issues 2nd Round of Guidelines for Opportunity Zones
Opportunity Zones are a community investment tool, established by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, designed to encourage long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide.
On April 17, 2019, the Treasury Department issued a second round of IRS guidelines for Opportunity Zones. This release contains 169 pages of proposed regulations, answering several questions resulting from the first round of guidance provided last October. A key part of the newly released guidance clarifies the ”substantially all” requirements for the holding period and use of tangible business property.
Concurrent with the release, the Treasury Department issued a Request for Information to get input on methodologies for data collection and investment tracking in qualified opportunity funds for measuring the effectiveness of the policy in achieving its stated goals.
Opportunity Zone Request from LAN and staff response
The Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods has submitted several recommendations related to the federal Opportunity Zone program to the City Commission. Attached is a staff memo and additional information in response to the recommendations received.
K-10 West Leg Widening Request forwarded to Congressional Delegation
City Manager Tom Markus has relayed a letter to Senator Roberts, Senator Moran, and Congressman Watkins regarding the need to widen the west-leg of K-10. The letters are attached and are also available on the City’s website at https://lawrenceks.org/legislation/.
19th Annual Earth Day Parade and Celebration
April 22, 2019 marked the 49th anniversary of Earth Day. See the attached information from Parks & Recreation for more information on the festivities.
Article regarding Ban of Plastic Bags
Attached is an excerpt from Planet Money regarding the ban of Plastic Bags that might be of interest to the Commission.
Future Agenda Items
Attached, please find a summary of future agenda items.
Future Work Session Items
Attached, please find a summary of future work session items.